'He really sent the Cubs on their way:' Former players grateful for Dallas Green's loyalty

As the Cubs enjoy the fruits of their first World Series title since 1908, Ned Colletti vividly remembers the seeds that Dallas Green started to plant shortly after taking over as executive vice president and general manager before the 1982 season.

“He really sent the Cubs on their way,” Colletti recalled Wednesday, shortly after Green died at the age of 82 due to kidney dialysis failure.

“He wasn’t afraid to change the image of the franchise and wasn’t afraid to take on tradition. He knew how important it was to have lights and suites at Wrigley Field in order to compete. He got the best out of people.”

Green, a top executive with the Cubs for seven seasons, was remembered by former Cubs for never backing down from a challenge, yet supporting them and never holding grudges if they disagreed.

The Cubs’ “Building a New Tradition” under Green mocked the losing ways of past regimes and backed up his determination with the signature trade of Ryne Sandberg from the Phillies after managing them to their first World Series title in 1980.

The acquisition of Sandberg was Green’s greatest trade among several shrewd deals that brought Rick Sutcliffe, Dennis Eckersley, Keith Moreland, Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier to the Cubs and a 1984 National League East title.

Unfortunately for Green and his organization, the Cubs blew a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five NL Championship Series and lost to the Padres and a chance at making franchise history 32 years before President Theo Epstein's five-year overhaul resulted in a Series title.

“When we first got to Chicago, you look back and think about other times in the history of the Cubs people tried to do something similar to what we were doing,” Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said. “And really him taking over in the 1980s and building the 1984 team is probably the most similar when you look at it.

“Some of those great trades made and really gutsy trades that you made were very similar in a lot of ways and I think obviously were it not for a couple of big breaks, it might have been able to end the curse a lot earlier. They were really close, and that was a heck of a team in 1984 that he built.”

Cubs bench coach and former player Dave Martinez on the death of former GM Dallas Green. (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)

Cubs bench coach and former player Dave Martinez on the death of former GM Dallas Green. (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)

“He’s the one who gave me a chance to play in the big leagues,” said Martinez, a Cubs coach who spent parts of four seasons with the Cubs.

And Green’s moves also gave Cubs fans realistic hope they hadn’t felt since the collapse of 1969.

“I went to Wrigley for the first time in 1979, and a lot of seats were empty,” Sutcliffe recalled. “I remember in 1981 those same seats were packed, but people were there to see (Dodgers star left-hander) Fernando Valenzuela. The Dodgers expected to win the series. That’s how things were for the Cubs.”

But Sutcliffe got a taste of Green’s determination midway through the 1984 season while pitching for the Indians.

Green called Sutcliffe, who was in Oakland, and asked him to accept a contract extension to get full value for a proposal that would send prospects Joe Carter and Mel Hall to the Indians.

Sutcliffe initially balked because he wanted to play for his native Kansas City the following season and suggested to Green that he pursue Bert Blyleven.

Green slammed the phone, and Sutcliffe took a flight to join the Cubs, where he went 16-1 in 20 starts and won the NL Cy Young Award.

Martinez recalled a discussion with Green that enhanced his development despite a long season that included instructional league, winter ball, 100 at-bats in spring training and an eventual promotion to the majors.

“He called me in the office and said, ‘son, what are your plans for the winter,’ “ recalled Martinez, who wanted to go home and rest.

“I said, “Dallas, I’ve had 700 at-bats this year,” Martinez said before Green replied, “well, you’re going to get 900.”

So Martinez went to Puerto Rico, where he said he continued to mature as a hitter and made the Cubs’ opening day roster in 1987.

Toward the end of the 1987, Green had planned to turn over the GM duties to Goldsberry and longtime assistant John Cox while naming John Vukovich, whom he brought over from the Phillies, to take over as manager for Gene Michael.

But Green clashed with Tribune Company officials and was eventually fired shortly before carrying out his plan.

Green went on to manage the Yankees and Mets before returning to the Phillies in a senior advisor’s title.

But his loyalty remained strong to several Cubs employees, including Colletti — who worked as a hockey writer in Philadelphia but needed to return to Franklin Park to attend to his ill father, who passed away at 51 three months after Green hired Colletti to work in the Cubs’ media relations department.

“Dallas Green is a very prominent member of the Colletti family,” said Colletti, who went on to become an assistant GM with the San Francisco Giants before taking over as GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 through 2014.

Colletti recalled crossing paths with Green on the Dodger Stadium concourse during the 2008 NLCS between the Phillies and Dodgers.

“He gave me a big hug, and told me how proud he was of me,” Colletti recalled. “But then he puts his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘we’re here to kick your (bleeping rear). “

Green’s friends began to notice that he lost much of his spirit after his nine-year-old granddaughter Christina, was among six people killed by a gunman in Tucson, Ariz. in January of 2011.

“It beat up the whole family,” Colletti said. “Dallas was the leader.”

The timing of Green’s death was eerie to Sutcliffe, who Wednesday was at the Phillies’ spring facility at Clearwater, Fla., where he crossed paths with Green for the last time several years ago.

“There was no way he got over (his granddaughter’s death),” Sutcliffe said. “I later heard he was sick and sent him a text message, but I didn’t get a response. He didn’t want anyone worrying about him.”

Instead, Sutcliffe hopes Green will get his proper due when people reflect on the change of the Wrigley culture 35 years ago.

“There is no question that Ryne Sandberg is the one player responsible for the change at Wrigley, with his play and how fans starting selling out the place.

“But the person who was responsible for this was Dallas. I hope people don’t forget what he did for Chicago.”